Joint meeting hears about reassessment

Town Assessor Judy M. Tafelski sent out requests for proposals to contractors Monday "to start the process to do a reassessment project here on Grand Island," according to Tom Halter of the New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services.

Halter and Tafelski spoke with members of the Grand Island Town Board and the Grand Island Board of Education, who met in a joint session at Grand Island High School. The town is undergoing its first property revaluation since 1986.

Sending out RFPs to a list of vendors who could potentially do the reval for the town is an initial step. Tafelski said the town assessor's office staff is not big enough to do the work in-house.

Tafelski said the town "should have a contractor in place and we hope to have everything signed by the end of March and the job itself starting in April."

"About this time next year (Tafelski) will be sending out the change notices if all goes well," Halter said.

Halter said taxpayers would receive an informal notice of their changes in assessment and would have an opportunity to have an informal hearing with the contractor to dispute their assessment. Halter said residential property owners could then meet with the Board of Assessment Review on grievance day and, if they still aren't satisfied, could go to Small Claims Court.

"So there's going to be three opportunities along the way" to make sure they have the proper assessment.

Taxpayer education is the biggest component of the process said Halter. "Judy has asked me to come back within the next month and do a specific presentation about the reassessment project," he said.